Bollywood: Every star has a superstar!

By HT

Mumbai, July 12 -- It could be anyone - a friend, family member or a confidante. But they know every secret, heartbreak and experience the stars have. They share their joys and help them cope with their sorrows. Find out who they are.

1. Akshay Kumar "Apart from my beloved father (late Hari Om Bhatia), I would have to say the superstar in my life is Nitin Bankar, my trusted spot boy. Since the day we met 19 years ago, he has looked after me, prayed for me, stood by me, nursed me and respected me through all moments of my career. We have barely spent a day apart. He is closer to me than my own shadow, which is why I consider him my own personal star."

2. Shah Rukh Khan "Charlie Chaplin, Salvador Dali and Pablo Picasso - they believed that the passion you have can be used either for art or for life. I think that's true. You can't be passionate about two or three things. You need to dedicate your life to art. It may be not be respected in your time, but the passion will be respected sometime, somewhere. I think there is quirkiness that these people bring to their art. Somewhere they survived the test of time. I am not saying they are my icons or people I follow, as I am no artist. They were ahead of their times and had the ability to turn around and go wrong. They could say, 'I don't know, but I will still do it.' These are people who I think are successful and are superstars."

3. Hrithik Roshan "It has to be my father simply because he is someone who aspires to be better than what he is every single day. So even with his status and at this stage of his career, he never rests on his laurels and continuously aspires to get more. That's why I feel he will continue to grow. It is something we can all learn from. At the same time, I seriously feel there is a superstar in each and every one of us. All we have to do is choose to be one."

5. Priyanka Chopra "My mother (Madhu Chopra) is the biggest superstar in my life. She is a one-woman army who takes care of every aspect of not just my life, but also the rest of the family. She is also a tough businesswoman and has her own flourishing career, which she handles alongside her family responsibilities. She does all this with utmost calm, grace and dignity. And to top it all, she is super fun."

6. Madhuri Dixit "I don't really believe in this superstar tag. But if you insist that I mention someone, then my kids are my superstars. They are all I look up to."

7. Abhishek Bachchan "I am not a superstar, so I don't know what it's like to be a superstar. My father is considered to be the biggest superstar in India and even abroad. The person closest to him is my mother, so she is my superstar."

8. Deepika Padukone "My family has always been my biggest support system, but my superstar has to be my team, including my driver and housemaid. They work tirelessly for me. In fact, I feel strange to call them my help because they are more like family now. They have seen me through six years of my career. Be it sending me off to work every day, witnessing my ups and downs or seeing my mood swings, they have done it all. I can no longer do without them."